Neurogenesis Instability

Professor Fred Gage explains that neurogenesis is an unstable process and is highly regulated by the environment.

One of the amazing things about neurogenesis is that it is not stable. It is highly regulated, so experience, behavioral experience, can affect the amount of neurogenesis that occurs. This can be divided into at least two categories. One is your physical interaction with your environment, so the physical motion can induce a proliferation of cells in the hippocampus, in the adult hippocampus. It looks like experiencing the environment, learning, acquiring information about the environment, also has some effect on survival. So, physical movement within your environment and acquisition, or learning, of information about your environment both have some effect on both the proliferation and the survival of these newly born cells in the brain - in the hippocampus in particular.

neurogenesis, hippocampus, environment, proliferation, stem, cell, adult, mature, regulation, stable, stability, unstable, instability, fred, gage

Related Content

1160. Neurogenesis in Humans

Professor Fred Gage explains that neurogenesis only occurs in the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb in humans, and discusses why this might be so.

  • ID: 1160
  • Source: G2C

838. Stem Cell Possibilities

Research continues to show that stem cells could be harnessed for therapeutic purposes.

  • ID: 838
  • Source: G2C

1158. Stem Cells - a Definition

Professor Fred Gage defines the key features of stem cells, which include self-renewal and the ability to give rise to another cell.

  • ID: 1158
  • Source: G2C

859. Neurogenesis and Timing

New neurons in the hippocampus may remember the timing of events.

  • ID: 859
  • Source: G2C

1159. Measuring Neurogenesis

Professor Fred Gage describes how he and his colleagues developed techniques to measure neurogenesis in human brain tissue.

  • ID: 1159
  • Source: G2C

848. Exercise-induced Neurogenesis

Evidence in humans that a structured exercise training program increases neurogenesis.

  • ID: 848
  • Source: G2C

1081. Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus and Olfactory Bulb

Professor Ronald McKay explains that neurons in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb are unique in that they are produced throughout life. This is known as neurogenesis.

  • ID: 1081
  • Source: G2C

865. Mental Retardation

Mental retardation: struggle, stigma, science.

  • ID: 865
  • Source: G2C

2107. Dentate Gyrus

The dentate gyrus is one of the few regions in the brain where adult neurogenesis has been confirmed. It may play an important role in translating neural codes for creating memories.

  • ID: 2107
  • Source: G2C

1997. Learning and memory

Learning and memory are two intimately linked cognitive processes that stem from interactions with the environment (experience).

  • ID: 1997
  • Source: G2C